Nicholas Building

The Nicholas Building is a nine-story structure on Swanston Street with a solid base, vertical middle floors, and a glass-roofed Cathedral Arcade. Its interior houses over 200 galleries, vintage clothing shops, specialty bookstores, and artist studios spread across multiple levels.

Architect Harry Norris completed this Commercial Palazzo style building in 1926 as a speculative office development for the Nicholas family. This period saw rapid growth in Melbourne, and the structure became part of the modern high-rises emerging at that time.

The building houses artists, designers, and independent businesses throughout its floors, serving as a creative hub in Melbourne's heart. People use these spaces daily for their work, creating a vibrant mix of different creative professions.

The building is easily accessible and offers entry to various shop and studio areas across all floors. Visitors should be prepared to navigate stairs or use elevators throughout their exploration, as spaces are distributed across multiple levels.

The building retained Melbourne's last manually operated elevators until 2012, transporting people through its corridors for nearly nine decades. These rare lifts were a fascinating relic from the past, showing the long history of transport within this structure.